Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Seitan Sandwich

Here's a sandwich of seitan slices with vegenaise on wheat bread, with a lime soy yogurt, green beans, and a dried apple and blueberry bar.
Verdict: I waded through an ocean of crusts (oh, those cursed crusts...) only to discover that the shmoo had once again left all his containers and untensils in his desk at school. The napkin was still there, though! But he ate everything and especially liked the apple bar. 4 stars.

17 comments:

Dreena said...

Hi Jennifer!
Wondering if you buy the seitan or make it? If you buy it, what's the brand. We don't always have the same selection in Canada, but I'm curious!

Anonymous said...

Dreena, I know the question wasn't directed at me, but we make our own and it's easy peasy if you have a Cuisinart to do the kneading. Plus, it's about 1000 times cheaper than buying store bought, or at least here in DC where it's very pricey.

So what do you do when schmoo leaves the containers at school? My fiance keeps doing the same with his lunch at work. Only he's a 20-something adult, so he has no excuse. :)

Anonymous said...

Lime soy yogurt? I've never seen that. What brand?

Molly said...

what is that thing on the left? is that a part of the sandwich without crust? I can't tell. at first I thought it was the dried apple and blueberry bar, but that's the packaged thing on the side isnt it?

and you know, I've never actually had seitan. I've seen it at our health food store and have always been scared off from it, not sure how to use it or what to do with it. hmm, I need to be adventurous and try some kind of recipe with it soon.

Anonymous said...

I was wondering about the thing on the left also. Since sandwiches usually have two halves, I'm thinking it is the other half and the light just makes it look a different color. Crusts trimmed off on that half to fit in the box?

Jennifershmoo said...

Sorry it's unclear -- the thing on the left is the other half of the sandwich, tucked in instead of poking out. The crusts are on, I guess you just can't see them very well in the picture.

Erin, the lime soy yogurt is Silk brand. It's actually really good -- Little shmoo's favorite.

Hi, Dreena! I make it at home using vital wheat gluten flour. We've also tried White Wave chicken-style seitan. I like taking an occasional break from all the store-bought soy meats the shmoo loves to eat.

Anonymous said...

Wow this site is fantastic. I'm a 19 year old omni (as you call it) and certainly no kids but you pack a great lunch!! I wish my mum had caught on to something like this when I was younger - it might have encouraged better eating habits at a younger age. It wasn't until I moved out on my own and started working in restaurants that I really branched out and tried new things.

I hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions. I see the site where you bought his groovy lunch box but where did you find the thermos (it looks quite small also - is it a whole cup (250mL) or less?)

How do you keep his fruit from turning brown too quickly - lemon juice really spoils things like kiwi and banana? Do you worry about the yoghurt going off in his lunch? Perhaps it's not hot enough where you are for it to be a problem.

Sorry for the long post but you make me want to be back in the sweet days of school rather than wrestling with university.

Sarah :)

Anonymous said...

I eagerly await the lunchbox each day. Could you also post your vegan breakfast and dinners as well? Pretty please :-)

Pia

Anonymous said...

Is it actually possible for yogurt to spoil? It is a cultured thingummy...

Anonymous said...

Hi Jennifer,

Happy holidays to you and yours! This question is open to anyone who'd like to answer it.

Would any of you know if it's possible to make seitan in an automatic bread maker? It has a pasta/dough setting.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jennifer! As a vegan mom, I thoroughly enjoy this blog. I came upon something today that made me think of a post you made awhile back. Not sure if anyone responded with it, but if you go here: http://alenkasprintables.com/lunchboxnotes.shtml they have cute little lunchbox notes you can print off and stick in little Schmoo's lunch. I love using them for my daughter. :)

Jennifershmoo said...

Hi, tanya! Here's a recipe for seitan made with a bread machine:

http://www.ellenskitchen.com/recipebox/glutchuck.html

It starts in the bread machine then goes to a crockpot to simmer. I've never tried it.

Hi, melanie -- those notes are adorable! I'm going to print some out. Thank you for the link!

Jennifershmoo said...

Hi, Sarah, thank you for your kind words! I got the thermos at the local grocery store. It's 8oz., just right for a serving of soup. They also carry all kinds of soup thermoses for kids now, with cartoon characters on the outside.

Re. the fruit, I sometimes soak his apple slices in natural citrus soda for 10 minutes, then drain and pack. I wouldn't try soaking anything softer than an apple. With most fruit I've found that if I seal it up with plastic or a lid it doesn't get too brown before lunch time. The only fruit he didn't like was banana; it did get too brown for him. Since then I've only sent banana slices at the bottom of pudding.

Re. yogurt, his lunchbox fits inside an insulated lunch carrier with a pocket for an ice pack. :-)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for responding so quickly jennifer. I might try that trick with my fruit - normally I take it whole but sometimes prefer a fruit salad.

Also re: yoghurt spoiling, it does have a certain amount of healthy cultures but some unsavery types can appear in the right environment and on a general taste note - have you ever tried to eat warm yoghurt. Not so appetising I'm afraid.

Harmonia said...

I've only tried Seitan once...it was alright but I will try any veg-alternative twice! :) Any suggestions on store bought brands? The one I tried last time was White Wave.

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I've never actually had seitan. I've seen it at our health food store and have always been scared off from it, not sure how to use it or what to do with it. hmm, I need to be adventurous and try some kind of recipe with it soon.


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Unknown said...

I've only had seitan once, but it was excellent. I had it prepared at a restaurant with a chimichurri sauce. It was to die for! If anyone knows where to buy chunks of seitan, let me know, because I haven't been able to find it anywhere.